All around the UK, buyers, shops and retailers are gearing up for Black Friday, a relatively new phenomenon imported from the US. ‘Bargains’ are proclaimed in every High Street around the country and on TV and online we are bombarded with adverts too. It should be said though, that a ‘bargain’ is only a bargain if you were already going to buy those items, so our first tip is:

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Preparation is the key to great bargain hunting on Black Friday. Sign up for alerts and newsletters from the retailers who stock the sort of items you are planning to buy, as far in advance as you can so that you can see who has the best prices and if your wish list is likely to be on their stock list.

Set yourself a budget – and stick to it. All of the retailers taking part in Black Friday sales are doing so to get their hands on as much of your last pay packet before Christmas as they can, so you need to be savvy to not overspend.

Do some research on the goods available, before you buy – check out reviews online to make sure what’s on offer is up to the job you want it to do.

WHICH? – the consumer association, recommend that you use their Price Predictor to check trends in pricing, and also Pricerunner which checks out lots of different retailers for prices of the same item, and camelcamelcamel which keep an eye on Amazon prices. Be sure to compare as many retailers as you can to get the best buy.

If you have one, always use a credit card for purchases over £100. This increases the protection you have under the Consumer Credit Act, so that if your retailer fails to, or is unable to, make a refund if items are faulty etc, your credit card company will do so

Remember that what is important is the price that you pay, not the ‘saving’ on retail or any other price. Percentages of savings or discount amounts are often exaggerated so be sure to keep your mind fixed firmly on the price you pay at the checkout.

When shopping online, only do so through websites with a padlock symbol in front of the URL (website address). Always be wary of scammers who want to get your money and if you an unsure – don’t click.

If you receive emails from retailers you don’t know – NEVER click a link in them. Likewise, if you get emails from places and people you know with odd links in them – Don’t click on them.

Avoid the crush in the shops – stay at home and buy online. If you have done your homework you will already know where the best prices are to be had and are ready to click away.

When buying online, check the predicted delivery dates. At a time when retailers are going to be under pressure, their delivery windows are likely to be much longer than usual. If you are buying Christmas gifts, you want to be sure they will arrive on time.

And last but not least…Don’t forget Cyber Monday – check out price predictions for that too – you might be better off waiting till then (Monday 26th November).

​Have you made a will? Thought about who you would like to take care of your outstanding affairs when you die?

Yes or No, have you thought about your Digital Legacy?

‘My what?’

Your Digital Legacy… All those photos you stored in the cloud, all those Instagram posts, or Facebook. Not to mention your online banking and PayPal accounts, your eBay and Amazon Prime. Your Microsoft 365 and all those other many digital subscriptions, social media, and electronic devices we now use. What happens to them when you are no longer around, or no longer able to take care of them?

Worried?

Don’t be. Just take steps NOW to make sure that there is someone who is legally able to take care of this for you when you die, or perhaps more importantly, should you no longer have the capacity to do so.

How do you do that?

Well, Think about who you want to trust to look after your digital legacy, then take a look at this website: Digital Legacy Association > They provide a social media will template and in their toolkit section, information on how to deal with your phone, computer, social media and things like a website or blog.​(Please note this website also discusses other end-of-life arrangements such as funerals.)

You could also consider leaving a sealed instruction with a solicitor, containing a list of your accounts and the passwords so that your nominated person can deal with your digital legacy.

Most importantly of all, deal with it NOW. Don’t think this is only for old people either – no matter what your age, if something were to happen to you tomorrow, the likelihood is that you will leave a lot of information about yourself out there and it can only be dealt with if you think about it today.